addiction

This human life of ours is so precious and rare. We hardly know just how special an opportunity it is.
We are born with the capacity to become self-aware. But somehow we have misunderstood reality almost completely. We have turned that self-awareness into self-obsession.
When I live in the realm of the Ego, I am ignoring my True Nature.

I quickly become preoccupied with my ego-self. Even subconsciously, I become obsessed with my own personal happiness. That is not an entirely bad thing, however. Of course, I must look after myself. But, when I do it to the exclusion of others I am missing the meaning of life entirely. I am truly wasting this precious opportunity.

In my pursuit of happiness, I misguidedly waste a lot of time and energy running after and grasping onto whatever I imagine will bring me lasting contentment: people, experiences, intoxication, food, wealth… The list is endless, and will occupy us our whole life – maybe even lifetime after lifetime.
The quest for happiness becomes deeply ingrained in my psyche. So much so that I devote myself to it tirelessly – the quest first becomes an obsessive pattern, then a compulsive Habitual Tendency. The search for happiness becomes such an integral part of what we do, eventually we identify with it so strongly and so naturally it simply becomes who we are.

Like a drowning man clutching at a leaf on the surface of the lake, our grasping knows no reason. We soon discover that the endless wish-list of distraction and desire cannot fulfill us. However, our grasping is so strong we dare not let go, perhaps for fear of the abyss, even when our body hurts and suffers tremendously. Withdrawal symptoms set in and we feel miserable and hopeless. Yet another of our schemes has backfired.

This is not to say I would be much happier without loved ones or food, for instance. On the contrary. Life may offer us many healthy options if only we didn’t become addicted to them.
I must acknowledge how addictive I am. My distracted small-mindedness, and even my physical body, is prone to craving. Then, if the object of my desire actually delivers a little happiness and pleasure, I am hooked!

In the case of drug and alcohol addiction this is very clear. But the same principle applies to a host of supposedly less extreme situations too – relationships, food, work…
Looking deeply into my own preoccupations and addictions, I must learn to shine the pure light of awareness on what I see within.
Soon I may come to a clear insight about my own addictive nature.
Every being wishes to have lasting happiness. So we all share that in common. But human beings, while having tremendous potential and strengths, are also very fragile indeed.

Our ego-mind longs for contentment for a variety of unhealthy reasons. Perhaps I feel empty inside and look externally for something to fill that void. Maybe someone else is feeling profoundly incomplete and desperately wants a relationship – an ‘other half’ – to make them whole again. For some people the problem is boredom; we seek insatiably for newness, freshness, anything to relieve the post-modern jaded malaise – travel, shopping, sexual partners, hobbies, even spirituality.

Drug addicts are just like me. Whether an addict becomes hooked on drugs to relieve suffering or just for entertainment. I must recognize that we are all like that.
Some day, hopefully soon, I will recognize my own addictions and slowly begin to find a solution that works for me.
It could be I have to cut through the whole sorry mess in an instant – quit, go cold turkey, temporarily suffer the withdrawal, avoid all future contact with that substance or person. Or simply seeing the problem clearly, perhaps from a different angle entirely, might prove extremely helpful in other cases. It could be that I can have a much healthier relationship with that person or thing – not cut them out of my life entirely, but learn to be with them in a different way; more moderate, less grasping, more mindful of the consequences of completely losing myself in the same old way again.

Who knows? I may even find myself in the process.

The teachings of the Buddha help us to do precisely that. They point the way towards lasting happiness. If we are ready, willing and able to walk that path ourselves we will discover that the happiness we have sought externally for aeons was already inside each one of us all along. We only had to realize that truth by turning our mind inwards and revealing our inner happiness which is inexhaustible and limitless. That internal source of happiness has many names. It is known as our Buddha Nature, our True Nature, the Natural Mind.

Once we connect with it permanently, we unleash its vast qualities of Love, Compassion and Wisdom. When these energies start to flow, there is no stopping them. Because of Wisdom, we come to see ourselves and all phenomena as they truly are. There is no more grasping. We are completely open and content. Our focus has completely switched from ourselves to others. Love and Compassion drive us to work tirelessly for the benefit of others.

Nolonger self-obsessed, the ego is first diminished, then eradicated entirely.

We ourselves are now completely and vibrantly awake.

This is the day we have become enlightened.

We have become a Buddha!